1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine having a relay function to send a received image to another machine.
2. Related Background Art
In a prior art facsimile machine having a relay function, for example, in a CCITT standard G3 facsimile machine, a maximum receivable scan line length is declared in a DIS (digital identification signal for indicating a receiving capability) by a width of a loaded record sheet or a maximum relayable document sheet width.
Examples of patent applications relating to the facsimile machine having the relay function are U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 813,514 (Dec. 26, 1985) and 120,104 (Nov. 13, 1987). An example of the patent application relating to the declaration of receivable size in a memory receive mode is U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 024,521 (Mar. 11, 1987).
In the above applications, however, the maximum receivable scan line length is fixedly declared in the DIS based on the constant information. Accordingly, the following problems are encountered.
First, in declaring the width of the loaded record sheet, if a size A4 record sheet has been loaded in the relay machine and a relay requesting station which is capable of sending a size B4 document sheet is to send the size B4 document sheet to a grandchild station which is capable of receiving the size B4 document sheet, the size B4 document sheet is reduced to the size A4 document by the sending station in relay request transmission. As a result, an image quality of the original document is degraded.
Further, in declaring the maximum relayable document sheet width, if the maximum relayable width is the size B4 and the loaded record sheet is the size A4, and if the relay station is to receive the size B4 document sheet by itself instead of relaying it, it is necessary to reduce the size B4 to the size A4 in an output stage. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a recorder having a reducing function.